Two-terminal nanotube devices including a nanotube bridge and methods of making same

a nanotube bridge and nanotube technology, applied in semiconductor devices, digital storage, instruments, etc., can solve the problems of high power consumption, density and operation speed of mos digital circuits, and limited density of bipolar digital integrated circuits

Active Publication Date: 2012-03-13
NANTERO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This solution provides a high-density, low-power, and non-volatile memory solution that simplifies fabrication and reduces costs by eliminating the need for specialized polymers and additional memory circuits, while maintaining logical states without power, enhancing reliability and integration into existing semiconductor processes.

Problems solved by technology

However, the density of bipolar digital integrated circuits is limited by their high power consumption and the ability of packaging technology to dissipate the heat produced while the circuits are operating.
The density and operating speed of MOS digital circuits are still limited by the need to dissipate the heat produced when the device is operating.
Digital logic integrated circuits constructed from bipolar or MOS devices do not function correctly under conditions of high heat or extreme environment.
As leakage current increases, the operating temperature of the device rises, the power consumed by the circuit increases, and the difficulty of discriminating the off state from the on state reduces circuit reliability.
Conventional digital logic circuits also short internally when subjected to extreme environment because they may generate electrical currents inside the semiconductor material.
It is possible to manufacture integrated circuits with special devices and isolation techniques so that they remain operational when exposed to extreme environment, but the high cost of these devices limits their availability and practicality.
In addition, such digital circuits exhibit timing differences from their normal counterparts, requiring additional design verification to add protection to an existing design.
Integrated circuits constructed from either bipolar or FET switching elements are volatile.
Alternative solutions to avoid losing information in volatile digital circuits, such as battery backup, also add cost and complexity to digital designs.

Method used

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  • Two-terminal nanotube devices including a nanotube bridge and methods of making same
  • Two-terminal nanotube devices including a nanotube bridge and methods of making same
  • Two-terminal nanotube devices including a nanotube bridge and methods of making same

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Embodiment Construction

[0084]Inventors have found that by creating a two-terminal nanotube switch with a nanotube switching element suspended over a void region, effective switching of reprogrammable memory cells may be achieved. Certain advantages to this structure have been identified. The inventors have found that alternative fabrication methods to those described in related applications that may have cost and performance benefits, especially with respect to yield.

[0085]The present application is directed to various structures and fabrication methods for making two-terminal nanotube switching devices with one or more suspended regions of nanotube fabric. Inventors have found that the performance and fabrication advantages of two-terminal nanotube switching devices—and specifically those with suspended regions of nanotube fabric—are derived from a variety of sources. Specifically, in certain embodiments, it is desirable to have two-terminal nanotube switching structures in which the carbon nanotube port...

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Abstract

Nanotube switching devices having nanotube bridges are disclosed. Two-terminal nanotube switches include conductive terminals extending up from a substrate and defining a void in the substrate. Nantoube articles are suspended over the void or form a bottom surface of a void. The nanotube articles are arranged to permanently contact at least a portion of the conductive terminals. An electrical stimulus circuit in communication with the conductive terminals is used to generate and apply selected waveforms to induce a change in resistance of the device between relatively high and low resistance values. Relatively high and relatively low resistance values correspond to states of the device. A single conductive terminal and a interconnect line may be used. The nanotube article may comprise a patterned region of nanotube fabric, having an active region with a relatively high or relatively low resistance value. Methods of making each device are disclosed.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to the following application, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference:[0002]U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 936,819, entitled “Two-Terminal Nanotube Devices Including a Nanotube Bridge,” filed on Jun. 22, 2007.[0003]This application is related to the following applications, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference:[0004]U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 280,786, filed on Nov. 15, 2005, entitled Two-Terminal Nanotube Devices and Systems and Methods of Making Same,[0005]U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 128,188, filed on Apr. 23, 2002, entitled Nanotube Films and Articles, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,706,402, and[0006]U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 128,117, filed on Apr. 23, 2002, entitled Methods of Nanotube Films and Articles, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,835,591.BACKGROUND[0007]1. Technical Field[0008]The present appli...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & AuthorityPatents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): G11C11/00H01L23/52H01L21/02
CPCB82Y10/00H01L51/0591G11C13/025Y10S977/943H01L51/0048H10K85/221H10K10/50
InventorMANNING, H. MONTGOMERYRUECKES, THOMASWARD, JONATHAN W.SEGAL, BRENT M.
OwnerNANTERO